Been here a few more times. Just not a fan anymore. Pots & Shots was better. The new place is loud…read moreand bright. Their service is OK but could improve. Especially when the owner is there drinking behind the bar. I do not recommend the food.

This place rocks! Stopped into The Regal Beagle and had an absolute blast. If you're a Three's…read moreCompany fan, this place nails the theme--fun, nostalgic, and just the right amount of kitschy. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, the staff is genuinely awesome, and the locally made frozen pizzas are way better than you'd ever expect from bar food. And the real highlight: Friday night karaoke. Great energy, fun crowd, and the kind of night where everyone ends up singing along whether they planned to or not. If you're looking for a laid-back bar with personality, good drinks, solid food, and a guaranteed good time on Fridays, The Regal Beagle delivers.

This place delivers serious Chicago bar vibes in the best way possible…read more Service? On point. Our glasses were never empty, and the staff checked in just enough to feel attentive without hovering. Now let's talk food, because it slaps. The onion rings are the real deal. Proper onion rings. Perfect batter-to-onion ratio, no sad, hollow rings here. The jalapeño poppers are equally legit, crispy breading, creamy filling, and just the right kick. And the wings? On a whole different level. Plump, meaty, and absolutely delicious. Sunday special: 20 wings for $22. That's not a deal, that's a public service. If you like great food, solid service, and classic Chicago bar energy, this spot delivers across the board.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $40 04/25/2026 We were looking for a sports bar to watch the Minnesota Wild playoff game, so thought we would try 85 Bar West...even though they were a Chicago-focused venue. Fortunately, they came through and put the game on several screens for us to watch during our visit. We started with an order of Onion Rings (see picture) - and they were the best onion rings I've had in many years. They were uniformly battered, uniformly fried to nice, crispy light brown color, and most importantly - a slightly crunchy onion inside that bit off cleanly so that you could dip it again! The picture itself does pretty good justice on their quality - and the dipping sauce was quite tasty also! For dinner, my wife ordered the Low Carb Beef Bowl w/ Pepperjack cheese & Rice (see picture) and I went with the Classic Wings split between Lemon Pepper Dry Rub and Mango Habanero sauce (see picture). We both really enjoyed the Low Carb Beef Bowl, finding it just as tasty as the name implies (all of the peppery zing of an Italian Beef with a melted cheese top - with rice replacing the bun). I was admittedly a bit disappointed with the wings, especially given the award-winning claims in the menu. My first impression and comment to my wife was that they were quite small in size. Secondly, while they tasted reasonably moist and tender, as the picture shows - they appeared to be dried out / overcooked...with meat pulling away from the bone. The Mango Habanero wings had very little spice given their name and very little sauce, with some barely wet and essentially none in the serving tray to use to add. While the wings would give me pause before ordering again, we REALLY liked the onion rings and everything else that we've ordered has been above average. The other thing I enjoy is their reasonable selection of craft beers (really liked the Chicago local Cold Time) as well as the unique cocktails. This is a solid stop.

4.4* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4*…read more Service: 4* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $32 03/14/2026 While certainly not our first visit here, it is the first time that I'm finally getting it documented. Tonight we stopped with friends who are neighbors with the owner after Mass. We started off by sharing a Wisconsin "Charcuterie" appetizer (see picture) - which was great to share with 4 people. Each of the items served in the pretzel were great - and we really enjoyed each of the dipping sauces. For our meals, my wife ordered the Chicago Beef (see picture) and I opted for the Mediterranean Bowl (see picture). As we always do, we shared our plates. While both were very good, I was especially impressed with the Mediterranean Bowl - it was so cool, light and tasty! Merll's is a relatively recent addition to the Waukee pub scene and worth a stop to sample some of their great food! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

I like Merll's! The service is really good. It is classic bar food. Tons of TVs to watch sports…read more They have a huge amount of drinks to try at decent prices, and rotating cocktail flavors. I'd definitely recommend pizza, bowls, and cheese curds.

The Kee downtown Waukee - breakfasts 10am-1pm on Sat/Sun. Don't chintz on this place, if you're…read morelooking for a lil dive barish breakfast. Small menu, but good food! Sausage and jalapeño breakfast pizza (I got 10"): loaded 10"or a large pizza crust with eggs, cheese, sausage, gravy and jalapenos was super good. I added more red chili flakes on top but that's personal preference. Flavor-wise it was good and was very very cheesy! Loaded potatoes: diced seasoned potatoes served with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, toast (add 2 eggs on top, cheese, and gravy +$3. Coffee: it's from a Keurig not my personal favorite, I prefer a plain ol coffee pot cup of coffee myself. Definitely a small, fun place for breakfast that isn't overpriced, over-fancy, nor over-rated. Give it a go if you want a low-kee breakfast. -- eating breakfast at The Kee.

Hands down the BEST! PIzza around. And great breakfast!! I love this place!! The team at the Kee…read moremakes it a great experience each and every time. Absolutely a great small town feel!

4.8* (out of 5) Food: 5* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $20 04/27/2026 Tonight's opportunity to enjoy another stop at Tito's came at the end of my journey updating several locations for happyhourdesmoiones.com. It was getting to be dinner time, so asked my wife to meet me here for my last stop. Every time we've stopped here, we have been impressed with the quality of the food and tonight was no different. I had already enjoyed some Happy Hour specials at another venue, but my wife hadn't yet eaten dinner. She ordered the Gyro & Fries (see picture) and as you might guess, I did try a couple of bites. We both thought it was a very good gyro and were delighted to see that it is the daily special each day from 11-2, so we will definitely be coming back for lunch some day. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

The wife and I tried this place for the first time. I've known about this lounge because of my son,…read morebut he and I never made it here. Don't tell him I went without him :) Anyway, I'm glad the wife and I gave it a try. We walked in at 5:30 on a Friday and it was busy. We didn't wait but for a few minutes and had a table. The greeter was very friendly and our server was super nice and pleasant to have as a waiter. His recommendations were spot on. The whole restaurant was hopping busy but operating very smoothly. Not a quiet place, a true sports bar ambiance. The wings were very very good. Maybe some of the better ones I've had here in town. The gyro was fantastic, and huge. Great value. The wife's flatbread was great too. Excellent food all the way around. Prices for very reasonable. Happy hour helps some of the prices for sure, but still a well priced establishment. We are fans of this place and will most certainly be back.

Visited Barn Town with my high schooler before his awards ceremony. Had the birria Crunchwrap, he…read morehad a burger and we split cheese curds. Everything was great, they were very busy but server was attentive. And the breading on the cheese curds? Amazing!

The "hottest" burger wasn't spicy at all. Like most breweries, this place drowns its food in salt…read more Am not a fan. On the upside, service was quick and friendly, and the sweet potato steak fries were excellent.

Last minute family dinner at Shirley's Bar & Grill in Waukee, to watch Velvet Trio sing, a smaller…read moreband off the larger group Suede. Seat yourself meant we kindly gave up our booth to another family, and stood by the bar waiting for the next. Fast bar service while we waited. THE FOOD WAS AWESOME BAR FOOD! (short review summary) Wings: tasty sweet chili wings, but I was craving wings all day so it soothed the itch (who am I kidding, I'm always craving wings ). Ranch dressing was good so that hit the mark. Curds: hot and gooey, nothing crazy unique but it's melted, fried cheese with a batter shell (which is our preference). Not a huge fan of breaded over battered. Italian Sammy: thicker slices of ham, capicola, salami, pepperoni, provolone, shredded lettuce, banana pepper, tomato and their awesome creamy parmesan, all on an Italian hoagie. The only thing we wished was we should have gotten a side of giardeniere (which comes in the Italian Sausage sammy). It was delicious and we all loved this sub. Shirley's Burger: what can only be described as a fancy Big Mac but wayyyyyyy gooder! This was so good, and...yeah. Just, just try it! I was between this, the French dip, the club sandwich or the tuna melt. I was all over the place! Tenderloin Fried: my husband has to get a tenderloin just about every time it's on a menu somewhere. It's his way of being able to tell if a "bar food restaurant" has good food or not. This is one of those "tell me you're from central Iowa without telling me you're from central Iowa" moments, IMO but he says that about my "good ranch" obsession so ‍ it was very good, and we love a tenderloin bigger than the bun! The batter was peppery and flavorful, which is a thumbs up for us. Classic Burger: a classic double cheeseburger was still very good! Two kids enjoyed this one. Love their fries, the sweet potato tots were just so so, but LOVED their coleslaw. Not "too creamy" and not "too vinegary", this one was the perfect mix of both - so so so tasty. And their gooey brownie with mint ice cream...get outta here, it was excellent! Server Ella was attentive and kind. This place will be in our family rotation, very very good!

4.0* (out of 5) Food: 3* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 4* (Probably) Total check/person: $38 06/14/2025 We stopped here for drinks last weekend with our son who lives nearby, so when it was my turn to choose a place to eat after Mass tonight I thought we'd give it a try. We enjoyed the music from the 70s and 80s last time and in addition to that, they had a live band tonight and the place was pretty full, so we sat at the bar. They try hard to say they aren't a sports bar (on the back of the shirts on all the wait staff), so I asked a bartender what they were then if they weren't a sports bar. After discussing the 70s / 80s theme, we ended up getting a history lesson. We were told that Shirley was the original name of the town of Waukee, but it was changed after lobbying from the Milwaukee Railroad that came through town to name it after them. The Waukee website gives a slightly different take...saying Gen. Reid of the Des Moines Valley Railroad stated that the 'powers that be' in the railroad office in Keokuk insisted that it should have an Indian appellation, and hence Waukee it had to be. For dinner, my wife ordered the French Dip with tots (see picture) and I opted for The Rachel with cottage cheese (see picture). While I really enjoyed the Rachel - great taste with the smoked turkey and nicely toasted bread, my wife and I agreed that the French Dip and tots were average bar food at best. I didn't like the bread, the size of the tots were smaller than average...leaving mostly breading and she asked for Ranch to dip them in and instead received some type of sweet homemade sauce. Overall, I liked this place - especially the drinks, service and 70s/80s music and theme. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.

Their potato skins are delicious! The atmosphere leaves a…read morelittle to be desired but it is a convenient place to meet a friend.

Service was bad...owner is rude...bill was totally incorrect. Owner struggled to explain why?…read more SCAM...

We were heading out for a date night drive, figuring out dinner on the way. Central Iowa houses so…read moremany amazing smalltown options and we love hopping in the car and just going somewhere - no plan, no destination. With both of us being absolute control freaks, this is quite possibly the only hobby or activity, in our lives, of which we can have no plan and be OK with it. We decided to drive south, thinking maybe Winterset, IA. We made it as far as Van Meter from WDM/Booneville (so like 8 miles?) and decided to try out 5th Quarter Bar & Grill. It didn't disappoint - less than 10min down the road and we're just now finding this place. We will be back! Wings: plain with sides of Bourbon, Asian Chili, Garlic and Ranch. Even without sauce the wings were good, and we liked that they weren't heavily battered. Rueben was awesome - in-house sliced pastrami yielded thicker slices (not shaved like so many) and it was so good. Got an extra side of sauerkraut and yummmm! But the onion rings drove this one home - definitely made in-house and so good. And they have the good ranch. This is important! Grilled Tenderloin was good - could've used a little more seasoning but it's grilled pork so ‍ altogether in the sandwich it was still very good. Coated fries were piping hot, and yes - it came with more "good ranch". They no longer do Breakfast - sadly - wish we could've tried it but our fantastic server Tegan said it never took flight, so they stopped doing it. Attentive service. All food + 3 Mic Ultras was $67. We will be back! -- at 5th Quarter Bar & Grill.

This is one of those places that doesn't look like much and is situated in the middle of nowhere…read more But those are usually some of the best joints. The four of us had fun here. The waiter was crazy...had a super fun personality. He picked up our vibe pretty fast and ran with it...kept us laughing the whole time. Very fun dude. None-in wings are awesome. Fried really well without being greasy at all. They were some of the biggest wings I've ever eaten. We got breaded wings as an app and then my wife got the naked wings as her dinner. Both were awesome. Easily a top two or three contender for best wings in the area in my opinion. Pizza was pretty good. Big. The pork tenderloin was thick and really good. Easy 5 stars. Great first experience.

We were in town for a basketball tournament at the IYAF complex and were looking for a place to do…read morea team dinner. Central Standard was so easy to work with to make a reservation for a group of 25. I called a week in advance and placed the reservation. Then the day of the reservation I had to add a couple more people, then our game got done early, so asked if we could come earlier. Each accommodation was met with such friendliness. Our server was great! Must be used to dealing with big groups. We enjoyed our food as well. My family got the garlic teriyaki dry rub wings as an appetizer, they were good! I ordered the mushroom Swiss burger - delicious! And got the tater tots - probably the best tater tots I've ever had. Perfectly salty!

4.6* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 5* Value: 4*…read more Service: 5* Would I go back / Recommend?: 5* (Definitely) Total check/person: $29 05/09/2026 Yet another return trip to Central Standard, this time with our son and daughter-in-law as an early Mother's Day celebration. Tonight we started by sharing a Pretzel & Beer Cheese appetizer (see picture). While I don't often order pretzels, this was a great combination of texture (soft / tearable) and flavor (buttery with tasty seasonings) that I really enjoyed! For dinner, my wife ordered Traditional Wings (see picture) while I opted for the Oh No! burger (see picture). While we both enjoyed the wings, sweet potato fries and a side order of tots, we both found the burger to be well done and a bit on the dry side to our tastes.